The Rebirth of Buddha

Sayako Amanokawa, a 17-year-old school journalist in Tokyo, is finishing an article about her idol, the news anchor Mari Kimura. Her admiration for Kimura frames her early career and the tone of her reporting. This quiet normalcy will be shattered by the strange events that follow.

Sayako learns that Tokuzo Kanemoto, a reporter she idolized, has committed suicide. This shocking event unsettles her and hints at a deeper darkness lurking behind the media world. It foreshadows the supernatural ordeals she will soon face.

Shortly after, Sayako begins seeing malevolent spirits everywhere, including Kanemoto's. One of these spirits pulls her into the Tokyo metro, where she is saved from danger by her boyfriend Yuki. This gripping encounter marks the first explicit crossing into a world of supernatural peril.

In that moment, Sayako recalls Kanemoto being judged in the afterlife and mentions the return of Buddha. Her vision hints at a larger cosmic plan and a mission she is fated to fulfill.

Yuki believes Sayako's accounts and explains the nature of human existence and the afterlife in more detail. He describes how suicide victims become malevolent spirits and the consequences of ignoring the truth she glimpsed.

Shunta, Sayako's younger brother, falls deeply ill after a violent demon possession, and their father, Dr. Amanokawa, cannot cure him. The family is drawn into a struggle between benevolent forces and malevolent entities at the heart of their home.

Sayako attends the Sonen temple and meets Tosaku Arai's followers, including Mari Kimura, who was saved from Arai by Sorano. She senses a powerful, competing spiritual force centered on Buddha's reincarnation.

Sorano performs an exorcism on Shunta, revealing that the demon works for Arai and that Sayako has spirit vision to fulfill an important mission. Sayako learns that her visions connect her to ancient disciples and that her role is pivotal.

Sorano preaches love and selflessness in his sermons, presenting a stark contrast to Arai’s manipulative claims. Sayako begins to align with Sorano's teachings and question Arai’s motives.

During a festival celebrating Shunta's recovery, Arai triggers a mass illusion of an alien invasion. Sayako channels Sorano’s enlightenment to dissipate the illusion, transforming the alien mothership into a colossal lotus flower. News coverage makes her a national hero, though many still doubt Sonen's account.

Arai escalates with a 200-meter tsunami, promising salvation if people submit to him. The TSI counters by forcing Sayako to speak on live television while channeling Sorano, exposing Arai’s manipulation.

Seeing the danger, Arai abducts Sayako and brings her to a baseball stadium to coerce a public confession. On a hovering platform, Sayako refuses to declare him Buddha, is thrown off, and is saved by Yuki and the TSI. Just as Sorano arrives and confronts Arai, the demon-possessed villain is revealed and a fierce spiritual battle unfolds.

The demon is vanquished, Arai is imprisoned, and Sorano is revealed to be Buddha. Sayako reawakens, and Yuki proclaims his love for her. Sorano also reveals that Sayako, Yuki and the rest of the TSI are reincarnations of his disciples from 2,500 years ago.

TSI members continue spreading Buddha's teachings around the world. Sayako becomes a journalist and leaves her family home to live with Yuki.